A Sword Dance over Westeros
by Ichko
Summary: When Yuuki passed away, she went with a smile on her face, her last moments giving meaning to her entire life. So when she cracked open her red orbs in another world, she was confused beyond measure. Who knew that the afterlife would be this bleak and violent?
1. Chapter 1

**A Sword Dance over Westeros chapter 1**

 **I do not own SAO or A song of Ice and Fire**

* * *

She cracked her eyes open slowly, her reddish orbs focusing on the clear blue sky high above. The girl rose, coming to a sitting position, her gaze sweeping over the surrounding lands. Most of recent her life, she has been used to either darkness or the overly-detailed lands of Alfheim and the later addition of Aincrad. In comparison, this land seemed… bland, simplistic. A part of her wondered if she had truly died and not simply had a stroke, sort to speak, and have reconnected back into the game, only to have triggered some teleportation to another, unknown level. But then again, the usual pillars connecting the levels were missing, so perhaps this was the afterlife?

Yuuki rose to her feet, discovering that she was still clad in her purple part-armor-part-dress, her trusty sword hanging loosely at her side in its thin black sheet. Seeing this, she almost instantly raised her hands to her ears, discovering that they were actually still elongated, just like her avatar. Still, giving the benefit of the doubt, she tried to materialize her wings and but a second later, the girl was already hovering but a few centimeters from the ground, four semi-transparent black fairy wings appearing on her back. She just stood there for some time, simply relishing in the joy of flight, the feeling somehow that much more real and closer to the heart than ever.

In the end, the girl was certain that this was not Aincrad of Alfheim, for there was no menu or UI or anything even remotely similar. The area that she was in was simplistic and as she rose into the sky, way too large to have the same type of environment, nothing but empty fields as far as the eye could see. The lack of mobs was also an indication, with absolutely no animals or monsters in sight.

She stood high up in the air for minutes, simply looking around for anything. It was then that she felt getting tired, tired of flying. If she was still in the game, she would have felt nothing and her wings would have simply disappeared when the time was up. Yet now, she actually felt tired. Not much, but it was starting to build up. And thus, Yuuki shot forth, to explore the lands before her in this bleak afterlife.

The cold air whipped at her skin, making her shield her eyes, so unlike what she was used to. She flew for another ten minutes before she felt that she can no longer keep up, slowly gliding down, thankfully after having found a road although it was barely more than a dirt path. The road led to a forest and seeing no other way, she went there. If anything, it would have been warmer than the empty fields with wind blowing through them, clouds and sun constantly altering as fogs swept the plains. She liked her clothes, but even the now red-eyed girl had to admit that they were somewhat revealing and not really suited for the weather.

Yuuki entered the woods, the forest peaceful and feeling ancient, untouched and unspoiled. The girl almost wanted to sit and simply touch the trees, feeling them really there, but an ever-growing hunger pressed her on. Eventually, she reached a stag, a very dead one on the middle of the road, a bridge slightly behind her. The girl covered her mouth, both from the stench and what she was witnessing. She was used to the idea of death, been her constant companion for the last several years. She even 'killed', a lot, in the game and yet this was somehow much more brutal, especially with all its intestines hanging out and the dead look in its eyes.

The girl eventually got used to the sight, despite not really desiring to do so and yet before she can move on, a party of horseman arrived from the opposite side of the road. The purple-head examined them as they stopped and looked at her in-turn, her clothing receiving a lot of raised eyebrows before their eyes shifted to the dead stag. She saw them all bearing more western features but uncertain of what to do, the girl opted for a simple:

"Ohayoo!" she said, managing to smile as she lowered her hand from her face.

"A foreigner?" questioned the man in front in English.

"Oh, Americans? Hello!"

"Americans?" echoed the man.

"British? I think Australians also spoke English…" mumbled Yuuki as she gained a thoughtful expression. "But it's too cold to be Australia... I think."

"We do not know what is a British, English or Australia, young lady. Did you kill that stag?" asked the same man.

Yuuki shock her head no.

"Are you from the Free cities?" asked a boy to the right of the man that has been speaking this whole time, a cocky, self-assured smirk on his face.

"Free cities? No, I am from Jap-" the girl cut herself off, quickly realizing that Japan probably did not exist here seeing as they have not heard of America or Britain. "I am from really far away."

"Your ears? What happened to them?" asked the same boy, Yuuki quickly remembering that her ears were indeed elongated. She though back on it, thinking about what can she really call herself. Human? No, she was not. Her love of flying would sooner or later reveal her wings, as if her ears were not obvious enough. She internally giggled at calling herself a fairy and when she thought about imps, the name of her de-facto race, she cannot help but think about the many other ways in which imps are portrayed, mostly as small demons. Thinking back to her ears, she decided.

"I am a fairy!" she said, smiling.

"Fairies don't exist." Said the man in the middle, many of the soldiers behind him giving a small laugh. All of them were instantly silent when Yuuki spread her wings and shot up straight at them, stopping but a meter or so away. No one spoke, no one moved. Everyone stood, mouth agape, stairing at the blackish sparkling wings behind the frowning girl.

The silence was broken by a tiny whine.

All heads snapped to the side of the road, down by the river. The men slowly dismounted and began walking in the direction it came from, some unsheathing their swords in the process. Yuuki flew above them, her hand on her own sword. A gruesome sight was revealed not long after.

It was a really large dog, maybe a wolf, lying dead on its side with one of the anthers of the stag impaling it through the throat. But what caught everyone's attention were the five little pups crumbled around the mother, whining pitifully. So much so, that Yuuki descended down and picked as many as she can, two, trying to sooth them.

"It's a freak!" nearly shouted the cocky one as the elder leader kneeled next to the head and removed the stag anther.

"It's a direwolf. Tough old beast." He said, his voice leveled. Another boy spoke up, having sheeted his sword.

"There are no direwolves south of the wall."

"Now there are five." Responded another, picking up a pup and handing it to the youngest member of the group, a boy that could not have been more than ten.

"Where will they go now, now that their mother is dead?" questioned the child as he cradled the small wolf.

"They don't belong down here!" said in an almost hateful voice an old man, his hair tied in a way to resemble a beard.

"Better a quick death." Agreed the leader.

"Right!" agreed the cocky one that Yuuki had come to dislike quickly, unsheathing a dagger from his belt and moving towards the pup in the hands of the child. Before anyone can react or protest, the dagger flew from his hand imbedding itself in a tree not far away, Yuuki standing tall with her one-handed sword pointing directly at the man, cradling a pup to her chest.

"Don't you dare." She said in a low voice. "Who are you to decide who lives and who dies?"

"Hold!" shouted the leader as all others unsheathed their swords. All but the one that handed the pup to the young boy.

"Lord Stark! There are five pups. One for each of the Stark children. The direwolf is the sigil of your house. You were meant to have them."

"Please father!" pressed on the youngest of the group.

The man, lord Stark, was silent for a while before sighing heavily and saying.

"You will train them yourselves, you will feed them yourselves and if they die, you will bury them yourselves." He declared.

A smile spread along the boy's face, further increasing as his eyes met Yuuki's, the fairy returning it in kind. She then almost casually lowered her sword, sheeting it in the black sheet that was hanging on her belt. As everyone slowly started moving back up the banks of the river, five wolf pups in hand, another whine sounded.

The dark-haired man stopped, before he descended further down the banks of the river as all others turned to look at him. A few seconds later, a pristine white pup with red eyes was dangling from his outstretched hand.

"Aaaaaa, the runt of the litter! This one is yours, Snow!" teased the cocky one. With the way that 'Snow' was now holding the poor creature, Yuuki half-expected him to poke it. With the pups safe and the girl having gotten some feeling for the group, the happily skipped up the bank, her agility surprising the many men, most wearing heavy clothes and basic leather armors.

Coming back up to the bridge, Yuuki was uncertain of what to do. The other party was already preparing to leave as two men moved the stag corpse out of the middle of the path. Lord Stark came up to her then, his grey eyes locking onto her red.

"I never caught your name, lady fairy." He stated in his grim voice although the girl sensed that he was at ease somewhat. She smiled, bowing slightly.

"Konno Yuuki! Or it would be Yuuki Konno as you people say it…just Yuuki is fine!"

"I am Eddard Stark and you have already met my sons, Robb, Bran and… Jon." He gestured to each of the boy, the girl noting how he slightly paused at the last one. "A ward of my family, Theon Greyjoy." He gestured to another, Yuuki finally been able to put a name to her annoyance.

"Where are you from, lady Yuuki?" the girl giggled at been called a lady. _'Are all western people like this?'_

"Just Yuuki. And I don't know. I mean, I know where I am from, Japan, but how I got here, that I have no idea. I woke up in a field around five kilometers that way." She said, pointing back the way she came.

"Kilomethers?" questioned the Eddard.

"Oh, you don't use them for distance? Than what?"

"Miles."

"Ooo. Was it one kilometer for two miles… or was it two kilometers for one mile…" Yuuki mumbled before sheepishly looking up.

"Sorry, I am not really good with that sort of thing. It is about a ten minute flight."

"Minutes?" asked further confused Eddard.

"We met about ten minutes ago." Responded Yuuki.

"Oh, I see." They both paused for a while, Yuuki feeling really silly for expecting someone clearly from the middle ages to understand everything that she spoke off. She was surprised that the people did not freak out at her been a fairy, but the again folklore and religion were a big part of the times and if she remembered correctly, fairies were good most of the time. A stroke of luck if there ever was one.

"You have nowhere to go, do you?" asked the lord.

"No, not really. I will probably go to a town, look for a job, earn some money and buy myself a home."

"It would not be as easy as that. And it will be dangerous for a little girl like you."

"I am not weak!" Yuuki responded, pouting.

"Perhaps." Said Eddard, a small smile appearing on his face. "You can come with us. At least for the fortnight if nothing else."

"You are a lord, right? You live in a castle?"

"Aye."

"Then sure! Just don't expect me to act like a lady or something. I am a warrior!" proudly stated the girl.

"Of course, lady fairy."

* * *

 **Thank you for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A Sword Dance over Westeros chapter 2**

 **I do not own SAO or GOT**

* * *

Yuuki was sitting on the back of Ned's horse as the party rode, everyone taking turns asking questions, some which made the girl uncomfortable and some which made her giggle. Now that the initian distractions were out of the way, the simple fact that a 'fairy' was amongst them began to sink into the minds of the Stark men and they all were somewhat distanced from the girl. She could feel their eyes on her all the time but paid them little heed.

Things began sinking into her mind as well, now that she some food in her belly thanks to the lord she was riding behind. The simple fact that but a few hours ago she had actually died seemed so surreal in her head that a part of her wondered if this was not all a dream and if she would not wake up any second now.

"You are oddly quiet." Said Edd, as she had taken to calling him, Yuuki turning her head to her right as she rode the horse sideways on, the lord's heavy cloak over her shoulders despite her many protests.

"Just thinking…" she responded, looking up towards the sky.

"Home?" almost silently asked Eddard.

"I guess in a way…" Yuuki mumbled, still looking up.

"When we reach Winterfell, you can talk to maester Lywin. If anyone would know where your home is, that would be him."

"Ah, thanks, but that won't be necessary." Was all she said.

"Why? Don't you want to go home?" he questioned, turning to look over his shoulder.

"Oh, but I do! The thing is, I don't know if I can trust you. No offense, but we just met." She returned, awkwardly smiling. "All that matters is that I am certain that there is no way home." Yuuki then truly smiled "Besides, home is where the heart is, or so I've heard."

Eddard showed a small smile at the girl before turning back forth.

"I am surprised, to be honest." Suddenly spoke up the fairy.

"You are taking all of this surprisingly well. Your men not so much. I would imagine most people would freak out if all they have ever known are humans."

They exited the forest and a series of rolling planes revealed themselves before the party as they rode, Yuuki peaking over Ned's shoulder, seeing a rather large castle in the distance. It was no match for the grand structures in most VMMORPGs, but it looked inviting, despite seemingly been grey and dull.

"Most southerners always laugh at us, saying we still believe in Grumpkins and Snarks. Perhaps, to some extent, we do… I am taking a gamble, brining you into my household. I hope I don't regret it."

"Just because something is not in plain sight does not make it any less real." Responded Yuuki in a voice so serious, she sounded as if she was revealing some major hidden truth, forcing the lord she was riding behind to crack a small smile. They remained silent for a while before the young fairy spoke up.

"Ano… can you tell me more about your lands? As in the people, laws and the like?"

Ned began talking, filling the girl in with a few words about everything. The kingdoms, the religions, the basic laws and so on, Yuuki frowning more by the second. The faith of the Seven somehow reminded the red-eyed imp of the religions of Europe or rather how they were portrayed in some of the many RPGs that she had played. The system did too sound largely familiar to that period in time and the girl did not like it one bit. Despite having been bed-ridden, she was used to freedom, absolute freedom.

"Ok, let me make something clear. I obey no one and above all, nobody touches my sword!" she stated with determination, crossing her hands.

"A lady should not carry a weapon." Simply stated Eddard, the phrase coming out almost as if rehearsed hundreds of times.

"Why?"

"Well… you can hurt yourself." Lamely tried the lord, not having expected any retaliation. His daughter had similar ideas, but she usually stopped when he said his word.

"So can you." she quickly responded.

"I was trained since I was little by masters of arms. I know how to use one properly."

"As do I!" Yuuki said proudly, a smile creeping on her lips.

A lot of the men around the duo burst into laughter, some louder than others. The girl noticed that her annoyance, Theon Greyjoy, was laughing the hardest, Eddard's son second in line. Yuuki considered teaching the boy a lesson there and then, but they were approaching the castle and she decided to let it slide, for now. While she was certain in her skills and took great pride in them, she was yet to discover how the people fought here. Her disarming Theon might have been a fluke. For all she knew, they could be using magic partially as they fought.

They were all surprised and weary of her been a fairy, but that did not mean that they were unfamiliar with magic. And thus, Yuuki simply smiled away their laughs and vowed to teach them a lesson the second she was comfortable with her knowledge of the world. Of course, if they kept it up, she just might not wait that long…

It was another half an hour before they reached the gates of the castle and the small town before them. If Yuuki was to be honest, the place looked pathetic. Yes, a small part of her in the back of her mind whispered that this was a real place and not a computer-generated area that needed no maintenance, but nevertheless, the low, depressing houses, muddy streets and ragged-looking people did really put her off.

The castle itself was larger than average, but it was nothing special. Two walls with a moat in between, a couple of towers here and there and a great keep slightly peeking over the walls. It was not perch on a great hill of cliff, it did not have a river running through it. It was just a large castle with little to separate it from a stereotypical one. The girl realized that given that it was actually build and not computer generated, it is supposed to be impressive, but despite her efforts, she cannot really bring herself to it. The place looked grey and grim. There were guilds back in ALO that had better castles than this.

The people around barely paid attention to the small party as it headed for the castle, only Yuuki's attire catching the occasional gaze, mostly resulting in older women shielding the eyes of children while casting disapproving looks her way. A part of her felt shame and yet she was used to such clothes and other people wearing similar things. This was her second lease of life and she would not let anything dictate how she lived it. She made a promise to Asuna to have a great adventure, the tales of which she would on day share with her 'sister'.

They did eventually enter the castle, all of the guards dispersing and leaving only Eddard and the three boys with her, stable boys coming to take the horses as the group dismounted.

"Robb, find lady Yuuki a room. We will speak more at dinner." Quickly stated the lord of the house and before anyone can even say a word, he was already walking away but not before the fairy returned the cloak, jumping and closing the distance, dropping it on Ned's shoulders. The surprised lord looked over his shoulder as he tried to regain his balance, only to see the girl smiling at him.

* * *

Yuuki was in her new temporary room, sitting on the bed simply staring out of the small window. Now that she had a few hours to herself, everything did start to sink in.

She was relieved to be finally free of her sickness, happy beyond measure to be able to enjoy life to the fullest. And yet, here was she now, stuck in a western-style feudal world with not a single familiar face. The fairy was determined to make the most of her second chance and yet she was in essence starting anew.

Simple things that a normal human would not even pay attention to were hard for her, having not really done them in years with her been bedridden was just the icing of the cake, for while the games modeled a lot of aspects, they did not model everything there was to life.

Yuuki wondered what she was doing here, in this ancient fortress. Somehow, she felt that almost if not everyone would expect her to act like a lady, like a damsel, and that was not something she had a desire to do. The lord, Eddard, despite not been a nuisance, still made her feel as if it was expected of her to simple throw away her sword and put on more snobbish dress.

A dress, just like the one sitting on her bed right now. There were small-clothes , something akin to a tunic and a long-sleeved tight grey dress. Just looking at the piece of clothing, Yuuki knew there was no chance she was getting into it. Playing princess or in this case – lady, is one thing. But been restricted so much so and been clad in these dull colors was a simple and massive no for her.

She wondered if she should leave while she could and go into the world. Perhaps it would be rude and yet she could go look for some simple job. Delivering important goods, for example, would be easy enough for her with her ability to fly. Escorting caravans and so on was also an option, but she knew one thing.

Despite her skill, she would never be a headhunter. She put too great of a value on life to even consider such a thing. There were undoubtedly people that deserved death but she would not be the one to claim their life.

In the end, she decided to stick to her clothes. Yuuki knew they would eventually get dirty, but it has barely been two hours since her 'resurrection' so as far as she was concerned, they were in tip-top condition. She briefly though about leaving her sword behind as she prepared to head for dinner yet quickly dismissed the notion. Remembering all the guarded and weary looks that she received from, well, everyone, she decided to be secured. The fairy can always pass it as some tradition or habit if her hosts got offended.

A knock on the door sounded, bringing the girl out of her musings.

Opening the heavy wooden door, the girl came face to face with one of lord Stark's sons, Robb, if she remembered correctly.

"Lady Yuuki. Father send me to escort you to dinner." He said, his voice and expression guarded. A smile spread across her face at his words. Not so much the escort part but rather, dinner.

Finally, real food. The party that had found her in the woods had shared with her a piece of bread, but in the end, it was just that – bread. Now, she was heading towards a lord's table, a lord's dinner. She can only imagine what kind of treats there would be. Sure, the lands on their way here were rather poor, but she cannot help but think that a lord living in this big of a castle would not have that simple of a dinner.

The duo walked through the surprisingly warm corridors until they eventually reached the great hall, where a long table stood waiting.

Lord Stark, was easy to recognize, a woman with red-hair of age standing next to him, probably his wife. There was another, similar girl, looking like a younger version of what Yuuki assumed to be lady Stark, the two of them looking at the fairy with look that were a mix of confusion and slight outrage or maybe discussed, perhaps because of her, compared to them, revealing clothing. There was a woman that can only be described as a nun, casting a not so different look her way, sitting next to the young red-head. Next to the nun was another girl, this one much younger with dark hair that appeared to be excited when her eyes fell on Yuuki, her orbs altering between the sword at her hip and the chest piece of armor.

Jon and Theon stood on the opposite side of the table, as far away from the lord as possible, one of them grinning, the other casting suspicious looks her way. She recognized, Brat? Or was it Bran, the young boy having a faraway look in his eyes, not even noticing her presence. The final one on the table was a very young boy, probably no older than five, with reddish hair, already eating away happily unlike the other who waited.

Deciding to get on with it, she bowed at the waist in a more traditional Japanese fashion, yet not as low as one normally would have when introducing.

"Hello, my name is Yuuki Konno, pleased to meet you."

* * *

 **Yuuki is actually pretty hard to write. She is strong and willful, yet she is not a hot-headed berserker despite believing that some people understand nothing but brute force. Despite all, she is cheerful and maybe not optimistic as much as… tryhard? Sorry, can't find the word. However, the main difference that might bring on a slight change in personality would be that she no longer has death waiting for her while at the same time death by a sword is much more permanent. I might get her character wrong in some point, so my apologies for that.**

 **Also, coming from years of 'living' in VMMORPG overly-detailed worlds, a realistic medieval setting of all things would seem poor in her eyes even if she realized why.**

 **Thank you for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A Sword Dance over Westeros Chapter 3**

 **I do not own GoT or SAO**

* * *

Caitlyn smiled, a reserved smile gracing her features, one befitting a noble lady greeting a guest, whether or not he or she is welcomed been irrelevant.

"Please, join us, young lady." She said, gesturing to an empty seat next to the younger red-headed girl.

"When Ned said that there would be a girl joining us for dinner with no belonging, I had a dress delivered to your room. Was it not there?" she further question.

Yuuki smiled awkwardly, trying to find a way to respond without insulting.

"It was there but I did not like it. It was… not me?"

"Not you?" questioned the nun.

"Not my style, not the way I dress." Clarified the girl as she moved to take her seat.

"But your clothes… they are indecent. You even carry a weapon!" stated aghast the young red-head.

"Sansa, you cannot say such things to a guest!" scowled her the nun, the girl looking ashamed directly after, casting her gaze downwards.

"How is it indecent?" questioned Yuuki, casting a once-over, making sure everything was in place where it should be.

The two older women shared a look, almost as if silently discussing wheather or not to answer the question. It was then that the lady of the house spoke up.

"It shows too much skin. A young lady should not wear such attire." Said the red-head with determination.

"Why?" questioned the girl with a smile. Yuuki somehow sensed that this would somehow end in a circle without a real answer coming out. Just by their looks, the human-turned-fairy sensed that they were already prejudiced against her.

"It can give men improper thoughts! Something might happen to you!" tried to come up with an excuse the lady of the house.

"It is their fault for been perverts then. Besides, it is not like I am defenseless." Answered Yuuki with a grin.

"Enough of such talk. Lady Yuuki is out guest and will be shown the necessary respect. If you need clothes, the seamstress might create something to your design-"

"And color!" quickly added the girl, interrupting lord Stark.

"-and color." Tiredly agreed the man, having grown weary of the, in his eyes, pointless banter.

Everyone was silent for some time before it was the old red-head that spoke up again.

"I am sorry for starting like that. My name is Caitlyn Stark of Riverrun. These are my daughters, Sansa and Arya and their septa – Mordane and you have alre-"

"What's with your ears?" questioned the youngest red-headed boy, having looked up from the food that he was greedily digging into, his eyes locked onto the two elongated ears.

In the much darker room, with Yuuki far away from any direct light source and her long hair having somewhat partially covered them, it was only now that one of the most distinctive features of her new body was noticed. The girl almost self-consciously raised her hands to the objects of everyone's attention as all eyes were drawn to them, looks varying between confusion, interest and perhaps slights fright or disgust were present in the room.

"Ah…" began the girl, a smile forming on her lips. The more she repeated it, the funnier it got. "I am a fairy." Silence prevailed as everyone stood, mount agape, or rather those that did not know prior. The youngest boy and girl looked at her with excitement in their eyes while the three older women had looks of disbelieve or perhaps disdain. It would seem they thought her a liar.

"Fairies do not exist, young lady, and lying like that, calling yourself one just because of a birth defect is very inappropriate." Began the nun – septa, corrected herself Yuuki. Giving an exasperated sigh, the purple-haired girl simply expanded her wings, barely noticeable in the dark room if it was not for the slight sparkling as she took flight. Imps, her in game race, were after all master of flight underground.

"By the seven!" nearly screamed the septa. "Lord Stark, are you going to allow this… this creature to sit at your table?!"

"I have no reason not to do so. She has shown no hostility towards me or my family." Simply answered the lord.

"No hostility? She is carrying a sword to a dinner table. That is not only inappropriate but outright hostile!" nearly shouted the nun.

"Do not forget yourself, septa. Who I de-" Eddard's response was interrupted by the girl over whom the two were arguing.

"This sword has not left my side for well over two years, literally. Besides, I do not really trust any of you. If anything, your reaction right now proved me right for bringing it along."

The girl then frowned, gently gliding to the ground.

"I can see when I am not welcomed." She then turned to leave before Bran stood up.

"Please, stay!" he stated, his eyes locked on her retreating form.

"Why? So that I can be glared at throughout dinner." She tried to smile at the younger boy. It was then that her stomach rumbled, rather loudly, the sound traveling far through the silent room. Embarrassed, the awkwardly smiled.

"I will be go-"

"Please stay." Said evenly Caitlyn, having swallowed rather loudly before giving that request. "If only for dinner." Yuuki raised an eyebrow, before weighting her options. In the end, it was her belly that pushed her forth.

"Ok!" she responded with a small smile. Taking a seat between Bran and the youngest of the children, everyone silently began dinner.

The food was nice. There was a lot of meat. There was chicken, definitely. Some type of bacon medium burned, several sausages and so on. And yet, there was little else. Bread, there was, also something akin to desert like small cakes and yet there was little in the way of fruits and vegetables. Nevertheless, gingerly taking a sausage, she had not even yet managed to cut it into pieces before the questions started raining.

"So you are a real fairy?" "Where do you come from?" "What is your land like?" "Why do you carry a sword?" began speaking at the same time the two youngest present at the table. Overwhelmed, Yuuki barely managed to keep up.

"Am… yes, Ja- Alfheim, it is awesome and because I am good with it." She responded.

"How good can you be, really? Your sword is small and flimsy, your armor even more so. Besides, you are a girl." Stated Theon, taking a gulp from his ale before giving her a half-grin. A grin found its way to Yuuki's face. She has had enough. Getting up, she walked around the table, coming to stand before Theon, her left hand on the hilt of her sword.

"You can use whatever you like. Armor, weapon, horse, magic even! All I will be using is my sword. I won't even fly." The boy next to Theon, Robb, was looking between the two of them, an expecting smile on his face.

"I am warning you, I have been trained since I was little, both by Ironborn and Ser Roddick." He stated before raising his pint and taking another swing.

"And I have won sixty-seven consecutive duels." She stated proudly, yet in an even voice. The boy momentarily chocked on his drink before lowering it, a determined look replacing his grin.

"Let us make them sixty-eight, then." Declared Theon, raising from the table.

* * *

Five minutes later and one dinner cut short, every one of the Stark family and a no small number of the household was standing in the mud of the courtyard, expecting the duel. A few of men laughed at the girl, but Yuuki remained still and unmoving, smiling at the boy in front of her.

Theon made a show of it, coming out of the armory, his cloak clipped on one side, his left hand on his sword. Letting said cloak dramatically fall into the dirt behind him, the boy cockily drew his sword, getting into a standard stance, his sword held in front of him in one hand horizontally to his body and slightly pointing forwards, the other hand pointing as if to grasp the blade yet not quite although Yuuki can clearly see that he was relax, not taking her seriously.

'And here I was hoping for a nice duel…' though the girl, a slight, disappointed frown coming to her face.

"Scared?" questioned Theon.

"Bored." She responded, not looking at him, the answer drawing many snickers from those around them. The old man with the funny beard stepped forth, one hand on his sword while the other raised high.

"It will be first blood only! At my signal." He stated, looking at each of the combatants in turn. Bringing his hand down, Theon wasted no time rushing at the girl, bringing his blade in a wide right swing aimed at her shoulder, the blade not really having any intent behind it and would have barely connected even if Yuuki stood still.

A small half-jump half-step back and the blade passed harmlessly before her. Theon then grasped the sword in both hand and tried an upper-cut from the left. Unmoving, the red-eyed girl parried the sword with her own before using the heavier weapon's momentum, letting the blade fly up as she redirected it with her own blade, the cutting edge passing up to her right. With both his hand and blade up, Theon's midriff was exposed to the world.

Deciding to end this quickly, Yuuki ducked slightly and going to the right, her sword coming in a wide horizontal slash. The purplish blade sank just deep enough to cut through the clothes and draw blood before the girl passed behind Theon who had just finished bringing his hands down.

"Stop running!" complained the boy. Yuuki had to wonder what had happened before remembering. 'Ah, probably adrenaline and what not.'

"I believe that with that it goes up to sixty-eight." She stated, flickering her sword before sheeting it, a teasing smirk on her features. She then turned and bowed to the onlookers and as she rose up, she extended her hand forth, two of her fingers held up in a V shape.

"What?" he questioned, confused at the spectacle.

"Your stomach, Greyjoy!" called someone from the side before laughter followed, his reaction mimicked by others. Confused, Theon brought his fingers to his midriff, finding the two layers of clothes cut through in a horizontal slash. They were not stained, yet when he also with a slight fright dug into them, his fingers came out with tiny drops of smeared blood on them.

"That doesn't count!" he shouted.

"First blood is first blood, boy." Stated the keg-like man that was overseeing the duel.

"Winner, lady Yuuki!" he said. The laughter at Theon subdued as everyone simply stood starring at the girl. No one spoke for a while before a certain girl spoke up.

"Please, train me!" shouted a dark-haired girl before suddenly everyone once erupted in laughter.

"Arya, no! This is most inappropriate!" scolded her the septa.

"Sure!" cut in Yuuki, breaking the death glare that the two were sharing. "Although I was self-taught so I do not know if I will be the best of teachers." She awkwardly stated, scratching the back of her neck.

"With all due respect to your skills, which are nothing to scoff at, sword fighting is not something a lady should do." Evenly stated Caitlyn.

"Why?" questioned both girls at the same time.

"Because, Arya, fighting is for men. A proper lady should focus on more refined things, like arts." Stated the red-headed sister, Sansa.

"Ano… Sword fighting is an art as well. Just because that guy is bad at it does not mean it is not." She said, pointing her thumb over her shoulders at a glaring Theon, drawing laughter from most people.

"Besides, the most graceful and beautiful and refined woman that I have ever met… was also the only one to actually pose a challenge to me."

"You make it sounds as if you are some great warrior." Stated her recently-defeated opponent.

"I really dislike using it, but the people gave me the title of Zekken. It means Absolute Sword."

Silence prevailed and Yuuki felt a no small deal of skepticism despite her clear show of skill. Caitlyn then spoke up, turning to her husband.

"Say something, Ned." She nearly begged him. The old lord looked between the smiling fairy and his wife before declaring:

"We will speak more of this on the morrow. Dinner is getting cold." He said before turning and walking back inside. His wife looked aghast, the notion mirrored by the elder daughter and the septa while there was hope in the silver-eyed girl's eyes. Silver meeting crimson, Yuuki grinned at Arya before giving her a wink.

* * *

 **If my other stories were no indication, I rather like Arya with Sansa coming a close second (mostly to the potential rather than what she actually is right now) It will not be Arya centric, but she will be in the story a lot, although I will try to tone it down. On another note, no pairings for now, sorry.**

 **Thank you for reading.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A Sword Dance over Westeros - chapter 4**

 **I do not own GoT or SAO**

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Sword after sword clattered to the ground as Yuuki rummaged through the armory.

It has been a week or so since the duel between her and Theon and in the end, Arya's wish was granted. It was not easy and there were many concessions that the little Stark had to make and yet, in the end, she was allowed to pursue her dream, despite the glares and shouts of outrage from her sister, mother and septa. She will have to put more effort into her classes with said Septa and her performance in them will determine for how long she could practice with her new-found role model. With today been her first lesson, Yuuki finally got around to looking for an actual sword.

"No… too long… to heavy… to wide… too rusty…" clang after clang carried far under the stunned gazes of both the master at arms and the blacksmith of Winterfell as the petite, happy fairy went on with her 'expedition' through the armory. The two old men shared a look, questioning whether or not they should approach the girl and ask her what kind of sword she actually is looking for, but the constant barrage of sharp metal flying over her shoulder stopped any such notion in its tracks.

Arya was standing between the two of them, her expression a mix of happiness, excitement and slight confusion. So far, the purple-haired girl had literally went over and discarded all known sword design, excluding several that could only be found in history books or the far east.

"Maaa, don't you people have even a single rapier?!" suddenly said Yuuki, coming back to the entrance, an annoyed expression on her face.

"A rapier?" questioned Ser Rodrik, confusion on his features. He still carried his reservations about the young lady before him, but her skills were undeniable. He tried dismissing her victory against Theon as a fluke, yet his eyes clearly saw that her movements were precise and not random in any way.

"You know? Thin sword, medium length. Mostly for stabbing, but depending on the design, can be wide enough to carry a blade edge." She did not know how to properly explain it. She was no sword fanatic. Infact, she mostly stuck to her own weapon, barely paying attention to other designs.

Turning to the blacksmith, she pulled out her blade.

"Can you make something like this, but slightly thinner." the blacksmith gave the weapon in her hand a once-over before silently nodding, his eyes holding a no small dose of skepticism.

"It would be a good choice for lady Arya, even if I have never seen such a sword before." Spoke up the old knight. Yuuki, in turned, flashed him a grin.

"First time for everything." The fairy walked out of the armory, Arya trailing behind her, a slightly frustrated exression on her face.

"Is that it? We wait?" she questioned impatiently.

"Nop. We get a pair of sticks and we start off." Yuuki scratched the side of her belly, her new clothes an annoyance to her.

"How can these clothes be so itchy?!" she nearly shouted. It was but the first set of many of her clothes, the girl almost possessing an evil grin as she delivered the 'designs' to the seamstresses. She had made it her mission to, in their words, scandalize the locals. Still, taking in consideration the cold weather, she went atlaest for now, with a deep blue tailcoat with a short skirt over black, body-fitting pants.

All of which, in her mind, made from fabric send down by god himself to torture mankind. Seriously, how can someone wear this without even showing the slightest hints of discomfort? She did not get around to asking or requesting any specific material, seeing as the land was not the richest of them all so it was not like she would get silks.

There were many things that she began rediscovering, sort to speak. For example, the simple fact that real hair required actual maintenance unlike what she was used to. She wanted to keep it, but her doubts were growing by the day.

It was a while longer before they managed to find two sticks that were the right length and now, they were standing in the middle of the yard, the master at arms and a not small number of people looking their way.

Shifting all her wight to one leg, Yuuki became thoughtful, looking at Arya before speaking.

"I don't really know where to start. Let us have a duel and I will see where you need work." Stated Yuuki, clasping her hands together. She quickly showed Arya to stances for the girl to choose from, one that she remembered Asuna using and the other – the one that she uses.

It was Arya that stroke first, quickly disrecarding the fact that despite been a stick, it is supposed to be a one-handed sword. She swung it wide, almost like a broadsword, the fairy sidestepping it easily leaving the momentum to carry the other girl forth. She then attacked, her speed much slowed than usual, Arya bringing her stick up above her head to fully block it, her left hand shifting from the 'handle' to the 'blade' for easier block.

The exchange went on for several minutes, the two girls quickly falling into routine of one attack one defense. Yuuki tried different angles and different types, altering between swing and stab while Arya kept on swinging as if she was a fully-armored knight. Finally, hitting Arya's sword close to her hand, she sent the stick flying out and landing in the dirt not far away.

The grey-eyed girl was tired, panting heavily yet she was happy, a smile clear on her features. Yuuki retained her face that she had for most of the duel, impassive before sighing heavily, her shoulder slumping.

"I don't even know where to begin. You instantly broke your stance, leaving yourself wide open. Your footing is terrible. You tripped atleast four times. I dare not thing what would have happened if you were in a dress. You fought as if you carry a claymore or something big. Should have used one hand only, with the other for balance as well as focus on stabs instead of slashes. And those are the minor things." Arya, who had grown frustrated by now, was suddenly surprised.

"Minor?"

"Yeah. You basically fought the sword. Your eyes were glued to it, not once making contact with mine. Of all your swings, one two would have connected if my sword was not in the way. You put too much strength into your strikes and block too much."

"Block too much? What am I supposed to do? Let it hit me?!" responded an aggravated Arya.

"Dodge. If you cannot, parry. If you cannot, then and only then block." Sagely answered Yuuki, pointing her finger up as she closed her eyes.

"What's the difference between block and parry anyway…" mumbled Arya, but the fairy's no-longer-human ears were not just for show.

"When you block, you absorb the full strength of the blow, tiring yourself. When you parry, you do so at an angle and more often than not, you deflect the blow, creating an opening."

"Lady Yuuki, if I may. While all you said is true…" uneasily began Ser Rodrik who had been standing to the side, observing the duel. "Lady Arya had never had a single practice. Such mistakes are natural." Normally, the old knight would have been more direct and harsh, but these were no cocky boys in front of him.

"I know, I know!" Grumbled the fairy, pouting. She thought for a few seconds before stating.

"We will start with your footing. We wouldn't want for you to trip and run yourself with the real thing when it arrives."

Showing the girl a stance which she mostly copied and later Yuuki corrected, the fairy began making the girl execute short, sharp steps in all directions while keeping the stance. Forward, back, left and right, diagonal and so on. The people around them slowly dispersed as Yuuki and Rodrik stood slightly to the side, silently and stoically looking at the girl.

"How long do I have to do this?" suddenly questioned Arya, breaking the stance while continuing to do the instructed steps.

"Until… until you can do them without thinking about it. And without breaking your stance. And do not cross your feet!" just as she said that, the silver-eyed girl slightly tripped, yet managed to remain on her feet. Stopping completely, she got back into the stance before starting anew.

"Lady Yuuki, if I may?" suddenly spoke up lord Stark, the lord of the house standing alone at one of the terraces overlooking the yard. Casting a look his way, the fairy looked at the older man for a second before nodding. Turning towards Arya, she called.

"Keep practicing until I return. We will see then." Her wings appearing on her back, the girl shot towards the terrace, skillfully entering just over the railing and onto the wooden platform. Eddard remained silent for a while before speaking up.

"How is she fairing?" he questioned.

"I… I don't know… As far as skills go, she is terrible, but I am self-taught. I am not sure if I can teach her anything! Or if even what I am saying is correct!" said Yuuki, an awkward smile on her face.

"The things you said and the pointers you gave were all true. And just perhaps, been self-taught is better. Surprise would be on your side." Returned the lord, a small smile cracking his lips.

"But that is not what I called you here for." He continued, his eyes returning to the steadily-moving frame of his daughter in the yard down below.

"The royal visit?" simply questioned the fairy.

"Aye." Before he can elaborate any further, Yuuki swifty cut him off.

"I am not bowing to this Robby guy and if you called me here for that, forget it." A small laugh escaped Eddard.

"Robert" he emphasized the name "would probably laugh it off and pat you on the shoulder, least because you are a young girl walking around with a sword. No, it is not him that I am worried about…" looking her way, he saw her questioning look.

"It is the queen and her side of the family, the Lannisters. They are prideful, perhaps too much so. The golden lions of the Rock…" he mumbled the last part in a far away voice, disdain and anger hidden within them. Not picking up on those hidden emotions, Yuuki quickly responded.

"Then I will simply avoid them." She simply stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"All of Winterfell is expect to attend the entrance at the very least."

"I am not of Winterfell."

"But you are on the kind and queen's land, technically."

"Their land, perhaps, but I am not theirs. My life, my soul is my own and nobody's else. I have wasted enough time because of others and their mistakes." Responded the girl, her voice altering from anger to sorrow.

The lord looked at her for a long time while Yuuki's purple eyes remained focused on the yard, looking towards her 'pupil' yet not really seeing her, her mind someplace else.

"We will figure something out, do not thing too hard about it." Said Ned, placing a hand upon the fairy's shoulder. She remained silent for a while longer before she looked towards the lord.

"This talk… your wife made you do it?" she slyly questioned, a grin tugging on her lips.

"I do not know what you are talking about…" stated Eddard, yet a smile began appearing on his face as well.

"You are so whipped."

"I do not understand, but I feel it is not something good, is it?" he questioned as Yuuki extended her wings, ready to return to the yard below. As she shot out of the terrace, she gave him a simple.

"Nope!"

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 **Arya's mistakes might seem bit over the top, but those are actual beginner's mistakes and she literally had no training after all. Looking from the side and actually fighting are very different things (hold my beer, I got this).**

 **Thank you for reading.**


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